Goodbye MOvember

So here in Canada, and in a few other Countries as well, there is a program called MOvember.  It runs for the month of November and encourages men to grow a moustache, starting clean shaven on the 1st of November, for the whole month in an effort to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. Its a pretty bad ass cancer that in Canada alone will affect 25,000 men this year. Seriously nasty stuff.  This was my 2nd year being involved and my team was able to, between 4 of us, raise nearly $3,000 simply by making ourselves look ridiculous with a moustache for the month.  So in honour of the pain in the ass (literally) that is both prostate cancer AND growing a moustache for a month, I present you my first post for today.  Its deep 'n sexy and by the fantastic Nina Kraviz. A Russian club promoter turned DJ/producer/vocalist, from what I can tell this chick does it all and does it all very well.  I've been bopping to this one for a little while now, hope you enjoy the kind of creepy vocals about the "killing jar"

Nina Kraviz - Pain In The Ass

And this one I came across last week, a remix from NiCe7.  What I have heard from them in the past I generally like and this is no different.  I would hardly call it ground breaking territory as it sounds pretty dated back to the mid 90s or so, but I don't mind. A good track i a good track, and it gets me movin. :)

Tahloula - We Play House(NiCe7 Remix)

limitless

Heard a few really great remixes of this James Blake guys stuff.  This is actually a cover of a Feist (yup Toronto again!) track and the remix is by Daniel Bortz.  Its rainy and gross here today and I'm sitting here at my desk trying to get a bunch of personal paperwork crap done before work... Its kind of  a perfect rainy day song.. i think its the piano.  I feel like i should be looking out of a window in some old European Capital or something.

James Blake - Limit To Yor Love(DB Edit)

Continuing with the piano melancholy-deepness is Sarp Yilmaz from Istanbul. If you get the chance the video for this makes me laugh cuz its synced up with that famous scene from The Graduate.

Sarp Yilmaz - My Baby Got To Go(Santos Resiak Remix)

back to the future

Its way back playback time again! I was listening to a new set by Art Department this week and they played this track, which TOTALLY brought me back.  I had never known who it was that did the song, but I always loved it.  Its Green Velvet! cool.  Originally released in 1995, I had it as part of an old Mark Farina set from the 90's and I played the hell out of it. So as I get ready to go do a little couch shopping on this cool, crisp Toronto Monday... I'll be bopping to this in my head.

Green Velvet - Thoughts

hung over, Grey Cup Sunday

Today is the 99th Grey Cup.  For those of you from other Countries, thats the Championship game in the Canadian Football League.  I'm pretty hung over after a great night out dancing at Mr.Big with some friends but still contemplating making the journey down to the pub to watch the game at a party my friend Andrei throws every year.  After, of course, I cure this hangover via my headphones with a healthy dose of Toronto's own Art Department.  I'd been digging their sound for a while and heard a few remixes, and THEN i found out its Kenny frickin Glasgow and Jonny White. I wondered where Kenny Glasgow had disappeared to... He went from being on the flyer of every single party that was thrown in this city to just not being around.  Well, this is what hes been up to.  You can't rightly post part 1 and not post part 2 ... even though the first 2+ mins of part 2 are a little weird and for some reason remind me of  the theme from Halloween(ish), except for the plucky bass.  Stick it out though, as the gays have been saying for a year now, it gets better.

Art Department - Tell me Why (part1)

Art Department - Tell Me Why (part 2)

..And all that jazz!

I just got home from working a private function at the restaurant where I work, which featured a live (fantastic) jazz band, they were just jamming for the whole shift. If everyone's life were full of live, free-form jazz at their place of employment, the World WOULD be a better place.  Live is important because it brings me great joy to see the faces of jazz musicians.  They are unlike any other, and have somehow perfected what I call "Jazz Face".  Its kind of a cross between a comedic "orgasm" face, and what one might presume to be the look you would have on your face if you just poo'd in your pants.  It really cements the whole live feel for me, and I took great pleasure in the Jazz Faces this afternoon!  First track up is a guy... err young man we shall call him, Nicolas Jaar(he's only 21 and been releasing music since he was 14!).  The more I learn about and more importantly, hear from this incredibly talented producer, the more I am in love.  It's not a brand new track but still, pretty awesome.  His edit of one of my favorite songs, Nina Simone's "feelin' good".

Nicolas Jaar - Nicos feelin' good

There was considerable debate amongst a few of my friends how it was, exactly, that we came across this next one. But it turns out that our friend Gary had a DJ friend visiting from Barcelona and she dropped it while she was here in Toronto playing at Comfort Zone.  Its got a little sexy vocal to it and just makes me wanna dance around my house with a duster in hand.  You know... to keep the place clean.

Miguel Campbell - Something Special

And finally I've been meaning to post this one for a little bit but what can I say, I get distracted.  One of the new musical loves for me this year has been Fritz Kalbrenner. You wanna talk about a great album to go for a very long bike ride to?  His album " Here Today Gone Tomorrow", is just that.  This track isnt from that album, infact, its not even produced by him! but he is featured on it as a vocalist.  And its very much in his style.  His label mate at Suol Records, Trickski invited him to guest on his album "Unreality", which got a TERRIBLE review on Resident Advisor, but I actually quite enjoy it. Hope you do too.

Trickski feat. Fritz Kalkbrenner - Without You

Dead Poet's Society for the Dancefloor

umm so remember in "Dead Poet's Society" when the class have that beautiful moment of rebellion and unification and recite a Walt Whitman poem? No? K, well re-watch(or just plain watch) the movie.. I think I'm going to have to re-watch it because it's been over 10 years and I need a refresher.  But when I heard this track pop up in a set  it reeeeally took me back. Its by Pan-Pot, who are this pretty cool duo from Berlin who apparently love cookware, and Walt Whitman.

Pan-Pot - Captain, My Captain(Rodriguez jr. Remix)

You'd think after the amount of dance music I've listened to I would be used to the ludicrous lengths of some of the intros before the song really gets going. Well, I'm not. I know why it's there.  And I fully am ok with like 45 seconds to a minute of oonts oonts oonts until the trak gets going so the dj can cue everything up blah blah ya I get it... but Carl Craig. You sir have just pushed me over the edge. 5 minutes and 45 seconds. Are you kiddin' me?! Lucky for you, you're Carl Craig, and that as usual this remix is pretty killer. So be warned, this one is over 10 minutes long but theres nothing all that cool going on until 5:45. Dude from Hot Chip's voice... love it.

Hot Chip - One Life Stand(Carl Craig Remix)

Also I just have to mention how friggin' cool it is to look at the stats when you operate a blog.  As my mother could attest to, I am a geek for statistics. So seeing everyday that I get 4 hits from Russia, and The Netherlands and Germany etc etc its pretty awesome. Also that close to 70% of those people are Mac users.. well my heart swells a little. :)  So, thanks subscribers! :)

something to Think About..(it)

keeping up with posting everyday caught up with me apparently! work and life can sometimes be damned inconveniences.  But here we are again with a day off and time to get caught up on things, I've decided to do the fun stuff first(posting here) and leaving the not so fun stuff for later(cleaning the floors & bathroom).

Its the second time this track and these artists have appeared on the Mooonboots, well sort of.  See the track IS featured in the Matthew Dear set, and I quite enjoy it.  I know I've heard it before and now that I know who the track is by and who its remixed by I'm pretty sure Maceo Plex played it here in Toronto at Wrongbar back in September.

Martin Dawson feat. Nicholas Ryan Gant - Think About It (Maceo Plex remix)

I'm sure a lot of people know the Solomun remix of Around by Noir & Haze, and with good reason. Its gorgeous. I came across a new remix of it done by Subb-an.  As the story goes it was meant to be kind of a white label for a few select people(ie: Noir, Subb-an and some friends), but they gave it out to a few others.  Next thing you know Seth Troxler & Jamie Jones drop it at the DC10 closing party in Ibiza and apparently they got bombarded with demands to release it. So here she is.

Noir & Haze - Around (Subb-an remix)

Now what am I gonna make for dinner?